Autonomous vehicle with unobtrusive sensors

ABSTRACT

A vehicle having an array of sensors mounted entirely within and without protrusion beyond a pre-existing exterior surface of a vehicle, sufficient to give a substantially complete 360 degree perimeter sweep of data collection for operating an autonomously driven vehicle.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims the benefit under 35 U.S.C. §371 of publishedPCT Patent Application Number PCT/US2015/64283, filed 7 Dec. 2015 andpublished as WO2016/126322 on 11 Aug. 2016, which claims the benefitunder 35 U.S.C. §119(e) of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No.62/112783, filed 6 Feb. 2015, the entire disclosure of which is herebyincorporated herein by reference.

TECHNICAL FIELD OF INVENTION

The invention relates to a configuration for an autonomously drivenvehicle in which the sensors to not intrude physically beyond theconventional, existing exterior surface or skin of the vehicle.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

An autonomously driven vehicle requires that the surroundings of thevehicle be sensed more or less continually and, more importantly, for360 degrees around the perimeter of the car.

A typical means for sensing is a relatively large LIDAR unit (a sensorunit using pulsed laser light rather than radio waves). An example of aknown-vehicle 12 is shown in FIG. 1, showing a large LIDAR unit 10extending prominently above the roof line of the known-vehicle 12. Thesize and elevation and 360 degree shape of the unit 10 make it feasibleto generate the data needed, but it is clearly undesirable from thestandpoint of aesthetics, aerodynamics, and cost.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present disclosure provides an autonomously driven car in which thesensors used to provide the 360 degrees of sensing do not extend beyondthe pre-existing, conventional outer surface or skin of the vehicle.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The subject matter which is regarded as the invention is particularlypointed out and distinctly claimed in the claims at the conclusion ofthe specification. The foregoing and other features, and advantages ofthe invention are apparent from the following detailed description takenin conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is side view of a known-vehicle;

FIG. 2 is side view of a vehicle;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged view of the back roof line of the vehicle;

FIG. 4 is a schematic top view of the vehicle showing the range ofcoverage of the various sensors.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Referring now to the Figures, the invention will be described withreference to specific embodiments, without limiting same. Wherepractical, reference numbers for like components are commonly used amongmultiple figures.

Referring first to FIGS. 2 and 3, a conventional vehicle 14, hereafterreferred to as the vehicle 14, has a pre-determined exterior surfacecomprised generally of body sections including roof 16, front bumpersection 18, rear bumper section 20, front windshield 22, rear window 24,vehicle-sides 26. Such are rather arbitrary distinctions anddelineations in what is basically a continuous outer surface or skincomprised thereof. However, a typical car owner or customer willrecognize that there is a basic, conventional outer surface, desirablyfree of severe obtrusions therebeyond, both for aesthetic andaerodynamic reasons. In addition, an antenna housing 28 on the roof,commonly referred to as a “shark fin,” has become commonplace andaccepted, and can be considered part of a conventional outer surface,thought it might have been considered an obtrusion at one point in time.

Referring next to FIG. 4, a car that can potentially be autonomouslydriven will need sensing of the environment continually, and, just asimportant, 360 degrees continuously around. That is easily achieved by alarge, top mounted LIDAR unit, but that is undesirable for the reasonsnoted above. In the preferred embodiment disclosed here, severaltechnologies owned by the assignee of the present invention enable theneed to be met in an aesthetically non objectionable fashion, with nouse of a LIDAR unit. Mounted behind and above the front windshield 22 isa camera-radar fusion unit 30 of the typed disclosed in co-assigned U.S.Pat. No. 8,604,968, incorporated herein by reference. Camera-radarfusion unit 30 has unique and patented features that allow it to bemounted directly and entirely behind front windshield 22, and so “see”and work through, the glass of front windshield 22, with no alterationto the glass. The camera-radar fusion unit 30 is capable of providingand “fusing” the data from both a camera and a radar unit, providingobstacle recognition, distance and motion data, and to cover a largeportion of the 360 degree perimeter. More detail on the advantages canbe found in the US patent noted, but, for purposes here, the mainadvantage is the lack of interference with or alteration of the exterioror glass of the vehicle 14.

Still referring to FIG. 4, several instances of radar units 32 may bemounted around the rest of the perimeter of vehicle 14, shown in thepreferred embodiment as two in front bumper section 18, two in rearbumper section 20, four evenly spaced around the vehicle-sides 26. Thenumber disclosed is exemplary only, and would be chosen so as to sweepout the entire 360 degree perimeter without significant overlap. Radarunits 32 disclosed in several co pending and co assigned patentapplications provide compact and effective units that can be easilyunobtrusively mounted, without protrusion beyond the exterior vehiclesurface, such as behind bumper fascia, in side mirrors, etc. By way ofexample, U.S. Ser. No. 14/187,404, filed Mar. 5, 2014, discloses acompact unit with a unique antennae array that improves detection rangeand adds elevation measurement capability. U.S. Ser. No. 14/445,569,filed Jul. 29, 2014, discloses a method for range-Doppler compression.In addition, U.S. Ser. No. 14/589373, filed Jan. 5, 2015, discloses a360 degree radar capable of being enclosed entirely within the antennahousing 28, which would give a great simplification. Fundamentally, thesensors would be sufficient in number to give essentially a complete,360 degree perimeter of coverage.

While the invention has been described in detail in connection with onlya limited number of embodiments, it should be readily understood thatthe invention is not limited to such disclosed embodiments. Within thebroad objective of providing 360 degree sensor coverage, while remainingwithin the exterior envelope of the car, other compact or improvedsensors could be used.

1. A vehicle having a pre-determined exterior surface comprised of bodysections and at least a front windshield, said vehicle further includingsensors capable of providing data from a substantially 360 degreeperimeter of said vehicle all of said sensors being mounted withoutprotrusion beyond said exterior surface.
 2. A vehicle according to claim1, in which said sensors include at least one radar-camera fusion unitmounted entirely behind said front windshield and operating through saidfront windshield.
 3. A vehicle according to claim 1, in which saidsensors include one or more radar units mounted entirely within saidexterior surface.
 4. A vehicle according to claim 1, in which saidsensors include both a camera-radar fusion unit and at least one radarunit.